The Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology is winding down operations over the course of the next year as a result of a steep decline in international student enrolment.
The Winnipeg post-secondary institution announced Wednesday it will be closing after a federal cap led to a drop in international enrolment exceeding 55 per cent, making its current financial model “unsustainable,” a memo on MITT’s website said.
The memo initially said the provincial government directed that MITT wind down operations, but was later changed to remove reference to the province. The document also stated that an undetermined number of programs will be transferred to RRC Polytech.
Numbers from the province show revenue from international students dropped nearly 60 per cent from the 2024-25 school year to the current academic year — from $23.2 million to $9.5 million.
“For this institution, their revenue has dropped more than half in the previous year and then this year again,” said Advanced Education and Training Minister Renée Cable.
Cable said MITT’s impending closure is “a direct result of the decision by the federal government to cut international students,” and she doesn’t expect Canada’s policy to change any time soon.
MITT says it will work with the province and RRC Polytech to make sure there’s a plan for students to complete their studies, whether they’re in post-secondary, high school, adult learning, industry training or English language programs.
All current MITT students will be able to complete their programs, Cable said, but where and when is still to be determined.
“Every student will be able to finish their program, and every credential that’s come from MITT will be recognized,” she said, and the province is working with MITT and RRC Polytechnic to ensure “the smoothest transition possible.”
The school provides training in a range of in-demand skills, from early childhood education to welding, carpentry and cybersecurity. It also offers English-language classes and high school courses for Grade 11 and Grade 12 students and adult learners.
While the NDP government points to federal limits, Lac du Bonnet MLA Wayne Ewasko, who served as the advanced education minister in the former Progressive Conservative government, said he thinks the blame “falls solely on the province.”
International student caps have affected post-secondary schools across Canada, not just MITT, Ewasko said. He wondered whether the government considered “alternative measures” to keep the school open, like additional provincial funding.
“They knew a couple years ago that the numbers were going to be reduced by the federal government. What were the alternative plans?” he said.
MITT had a total enrolment of 4,663 students across its various programs, its 2024-25 annual report said. According to the province, 1,988 of them — more than four in 10 — were international students.
Trixie Ho, a former MITT international student who moved from Vietnam to study hairstyling, said she was sad to hear the institution will be closing.
She said several of her friends back home in Vietnam had been hoping to attend MITT, despite the challenges of federal limits.
“There are some students that really want to go to MITT, but now they have no chance,” Ho said.
She’s already completed her year-long program and said she had hoped to pick up her diploma on Wednesday, but the school was closed.
Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham said in a statement that “MITT has helped train the skilled workers Winnipeg needs” and his thoughts are with the students and teachers left in an uncertain situation.
In a memo to staff, RRC Polytech president Fred Meier decried the impact of Ottawa’s cap on international students on Manitoba’s post-secondary sector, saying it doesn’t take the province’s unique market needs into account.
Meier said in the memo that there’s some overlap between the RRC Polytech and MITT in their offerings, and a review of MITT’s programs will determine which will be kept.
He acknowledged the news is hard for MITT employees and said the closure isn’t a reflection of the work they do.
On Wednesday, Cable said “there are no changes to staffing” at MITT right now, but wouldn’t say whether staff will be laid off in the future.
However, she said there is “very real potential” that some MITT staff may not find jobs at RRC Polytechnic.
Chris Lorenc, president and CEO of the Manitoba Heavy Construction Association, said he was “shocked” and “saddened” by the announcement.
He said “there appears to be a disconnect” between MITT’s closure and statements from provincial leaders about boosting trades training.
“Within the last day or so, the province was talking about how important it is to provide education and training for people who want to pursue careers in the construction industry. Then literally a day or two after, the very institution that is built around that mandate is allowed to close,” he said.
“If you’re not generating an educated workforce, you are not helping the economy, you are not helping the industry, and you are not helping government or private sector ability to build and construct this province,” Lorenc said.
“That is a big hole that this announcement creates for education and training,” he said.
Cable said the closure won’t happen during this academic year.
A post-secondary school in Manitoba with more than 4,500 students is preparing to shut its doors after it struggled to cope with a sharp decline in international student enrolment.
